System comprising at least two laboratory instruments for instrument-controlled handling of a partial problem in a treatment process containing treatments of at least one laboratory sample, laboratory instrument and method

Abstract

The invention relates to a laboratory instrument for the instrument-controlled handling of a partial problem in a treatment process which contains treatments of at least one laboratory sample. The invention moreover relates to a system containing a plurality of such laboratory instruments, wherein the system serves for the instrument-controlled handling of a problem containing a plurality of these partial problems in the treatment process of at least one laboratory sample. And the invention relates to a method for the instrument-controlled handling of a partial problem in a treatment process which contains treatments of at least one laboratory sample.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A laboratory instrument for the instrument-controlled treatment of a partial problem in a treatment process for handling at least one laboratory sample, which treatment process relates to the handling of a problem comprising partial problems when handling the at least one laboratory sample using the laboratory instrument and at least one further laboratory instrument, the laboratory instrument being configured to establish a direct data connection to the further laboratory instrument, the laboratory instrument and the further laboratory instrument being selected from the group of laboratory instruments including at least a centrifuge, a thermocycler, a biospectrometer, a cell counter, an incubator, a laboratory shaker, a laboratory mixer, a laboratory freezer, a bioreactor, a safety work bench, a biological safety cabinet, a sample plate reader, and a laboratory machine for treating fluid samples,
 the laboratory instrument comprising:
 a treatment apparatus for an instrument-controlled handling of the partial problem requiring consumables, 
 a control apparatus for controlling the laboratory instrument, 
 at least one interface apparatus for establishing at least one data connection to at least one further laboratory instrument; 
 
 wherein the control apparatus comprises a control program and is configured and programmed:
 to receive first treatment data, which can be used for handling the partial problem, via the at least one interface apparatus and 
 to perform a control of the handling of the partial problem using said first treatment data, 
 to generate at least one data record during the handling of the partial problem, which data record contains information about a performance of the treatment in accordance with a first partial problem, said data record containing consumable material-related data and to output said data record containing consumable material-related data as second treatment data as a function of the handling of the partial problem, which the second treatment data can be used by the further laboratory instrument for handling a further partial problem of the treatment process, 
 to forward the first treatment data and to merge the first treatment data with the second treatment data, and 
 to output at least further treatment data containing the first and second treatment data for use by the further laboratory instrument via the at least one interface apparatus by establishing a direct data connection between the interface apparatus of the first laboratory instrument and the interface apparatus of the further laboratory instrument within a restricted network of an intranet, the direct data connection meaning that the further treatment data are transferred from the laboratory instrument to the further laboratory instrument without being processed by an interconnected data processing instrument being the control apparatus of a laboratory instrument. 
 
 
     
     
       2. A method for instrument-controlled handling of a partial problem in a treatment process for handling at least one laboratory sample, which treatment process relates to the handling of a problem comprising partial problems when handling the at least one laboratory sample using a laboratory instrument, wherein the laboratory instrument is configured according to  claim 1 , and the following steps of the method are carried out by means of the control apparatus of the laboratory instrument:
 receiving first treatment data, which can be used for handling the partial problem, by means of the at least one interface apparatus, and 
 controlling the handling of the partial problem using said first treatment data, 
 providing, in particular generating, further treatment data as a function of the handling of the partial problem, wherein the further treatment data can be used by a further laboratory instrument according to  claim 1  for handling a further partial problem of the treatment process, and 
 outputting at least said further treatment data via the at least one interface apparatus for use by the further laboratory instrument by establishing a data connection between the interface apparatus of the laboratory instrument and the interface apparatus of the further laboratory instrument within a restricted network of an intranet. 
 
     
     
       3. A method of using a laboratory instrument, the method comprising:
 providing the laboratory instrument according to  claim 1 ; 
 handling a problem by a treatment process for handling at least one laboratory sample, wherein the problem comprises at least a first and a second partial problem, by means of said laboratory instrument. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , the method further comprising:
 arranging said laboratory instrument in a chemical, biological, biochemical, medical or forensic laboratory; and 
 performing the handling of the problem in said laboratory. 
 
     
     
       5. A system for instrument-controlled handling of a problem by a treatment process for handling at least one laboratory sample, wherein the problem comprises at least a first and a second partial problem,
 the system comprising: 
 at least one first laboratory instrument according to  claim 1  comprising at least one treatment apparatus, a control apparatus and at least one interface apparatus for handling the first partial problem of the problem, and 
 at least one second laboratory instrument according to  claim 1  comprising at least one treatment apparatus, a control apparatus and at least one interface apparatus for handling the second partial problem of the problem, 
 the first laboratory instrument being configured to establish a direct data connection to the second laboratory instrument, 
 wherein the first laboratory instrument is configured
 to perform a control of the handling of the partial problem using first treatment data, wherein the system is configured: 
 to provide, in particular generate, second treatment data as a function of the handling of the first partial problem, which second treatment data can be used by the second laboratory instrument for handling the second partial problem of the treatment process, and 
 to output at least the second treatment data for use by the at least one second laboratory instrument by establishing a direct data connection between the interface apparatus of the first laboratory instrument and the interface apparatus of the second laboratory instrument, the direct data connection meaning that said at least the second treatment data are transferred from the first laboratory instrument to the second laboratory instrument without being processed by an interconnected data processing instrument being the control apparatus of a laboratory instrument, 
 
 wherein the second laboratory instrument is configured
 to receive the second treatment data from the first laboratory instrument via said data connection within a restricted network of an intranet, which second treatment data can be used for handling the second partial problem, via the at least one interface apparatus thereof and 
 to perform the control of a program-controlled handling of the second partial problem using the second treatment data. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The system according to  claim 5 , comprising at least one external data processing apparatus, in particular a computer with a storage apparatus, in which first and/or second treatment data, which are used for performing the treatment process, can be stored. 
     
     
       7. The system according to  claim 6 , wherein the external data processing apparatus is configured to process first and/or second treatment data from at least one laboratory instrument of the system during the treatment process, in particular to receive treatment data from the first laboratory instrument and transmit treatment data to the second laboratory instrument. 
     
     
       8. The system according to  claim 6  or  7 , comprising at least one user interface apparatus, by means of which treatment data can be determined by a user, wherein the user interface apparatus is embodied to emit the treatment data to at least one laboratory instrument, in particular via the at least one external data processing apparatus. 
     
     
       9. The system according to  claim 5 , wherein the system is configured to store first and/or second treatment data during the treatment process and, from the first and/or second treatment data, to generate and store a log file, in particular a certification file. 
     
     
       10. A method of using a system for instrument-controlled handling of a problem, the method comprising:
 providing the system according to  claim 5 ; and 
 handling a problem by a treatment process for handling at least one laboratory sample, wherein the problem comprises at least a first and a second partial problem, by means of said system. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , the method further comprising:
 arranging said system in a chemical, biological, biochemical, medical or forensic laboratory; and 
 performing the handling of the problem in said laboratory. 
 
     
     
       12. The laboratory instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein said second treatment data contain information about a performance of the treatment in accordance with the partial problem, in particular log data or consumable material-related data. 
     
     
       13. The laboratory instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein the laboratory instrument is configured to store first and/or second treatment data during the treatment process and, from the first and/or second treatment data, to generate and store a log file, in particular a certification file. 
     
     
       14. The laboratory instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein the first treatment data and/or the second treatment data contains time data about absolute times or about relative times. 
     
     
       15. The laboratory instrument according to  claim 1 , wherein the laboratory instrument is configured to permanently store program parameters entered by a user and to load the program parameters again automatically or following a user trigger. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein using the system according to  claim 5 , which is configured to receive user data which are output to the system by a user via a user interface and the system is configured to define the treatment process from the user data by virtue of treatment data being generated as a function of the user data, wherein said treatment data influence, in particular control, the handling of the partial problems by the at least one first and second laboratory instrument. 
     
     
       17. The laboratory instrument of  claim 1 , wherein said control apparatus comprises a booking apparatus, which comprises a storage apparatus, which stores booking data, and wherein a booking data record of said booking data contains data at what time said laboratory instrument will carry out the instrument-controlled treatment, and wherein said control apparatus is embodied to evaluate some or all booking data in accordance with an evaluation method stored in a storage apparatus to create a schedule according to at least one criterion. 
     
     
       18. The laboratory instrument of  claim 1 , wherein said control apparatus is integrated in a module which is securely connected to said laboratory instrument. 
     
     
       19. The system of  claim 5 , wherein one of the at least first and second laboratory instruments comprises a conventional operating mode, in which it is capable to work independently and to provide the treatment of at least one laboratory sample using its treatment apparatus, and, additionally when said laboratory instrument is operated as part of the system according to  claim 18 , the laboratory instrument is configured to handle the partial problem and preferably the control apparatus is capable to conduct the handling of the overall treatment process during the handling of the partial problem. 
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 5 , wherein said control apparatus of one of the at least first and second laboratory instruments is integrated in a module which is securely connected to said laboratory instrument. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the laboratory instruments of the system are embodied to receive, bundle and forward the treatment data required for performing the further treatment step to a further laboratory instrument of the system, the system being configured to provide the log file at the end of the treatment process, wherein log data in the log file contain all first and/or second treatment data which are provided and/or generated by all laboratory instruments during a course of the treatment process. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 21 , wherein the log data contain all treatment data required for being able to unambiguously reproduce the treatment process with the system. 
     
     
       23. The system of  claim 22 , the system being configured to generate an electronic lab book based on the log data, by means of which the individual treatments of the treatment process are compiled and stored as a file depending on the identity of a user performing the treatments or the treatment process.